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Driving France’s e-mobility and clean energy ambitions with innovative ABB technologynew.abb.comThe arrival of the ABB Formula E Championship in Paris this weekend, for the fourth consecutive year, makes a powerful statement about the role of this mold-breaking race series in highlighting ambitious French goals to become a world leader in the fields of sustainability and climate change awareness. In a country profoundly committed to sustainable energy solutions, ABB, a pioneering technology leader, is a strategic partner in the effort.

It was in Paris in 2011 that the idea of a global all-electric motor-racing championship was conceived and France – home of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference – is committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent by 2030. To do so means significantly curtailing emissions from transportation, as fossil-fueled vehicles currently account for 28 percent of CO2 emissions in France and are a major contributor of other health-threatening gases and particulates.

France’s government-backed e-mobility strategy is founded in part on banning high-polluting fossil-fuel cars by 2020, with a further goal for 2040 of ending the sale of gasoline and diesel-powered cars outright.

Frank Duggan, President of ABB Europe, notes that the emotional connection being made by ABB Formula E to fans and consumers in major world city centers such as Paris, is helping to shift perceptions about the potential of e-mobility and electric vehicles (EVs): “ABB Formula E is touching the hearts of the people with the exciting racing we’re seeing at every event,” he says. “All the young people can see how exciting electric cars are and e-mobility is. The race in Paris is going to help boost electric mobility and help drive French industry to keep embracing developments in sustainable technology.”

Cleaner transitThe country is further encouraging the uptake of e-mobility by swapping 4,600 internal combustion buses run by the state-owned public transport operator in Paris with electric and gas-powered alternatives by 2025.

ABB is ideally positioned to support these decisions with its market-leading technological solutions. In the north-west city of Nantes, for example, ABB is providing the world’s fastest flash-charging connection technology to power the city’s first fully-electric 24-meter buses that can carry 151 passengers. The zero-emission buses, with roof-mounted batteries, do not require overhead lines and can be charged in just 20 seconds – less time than it takes for passengers to disembark and others to board. A robotic arm automatically connects to the overhead charging terminal to provide a 600-kilowatt burst of electricity. ABB’s curbside batteries and transformers enable the system to prepare for each flash charge without causing a disruptive surge on the local energy grid. As part of ABB’s innovative technology, the revolutionary charging solution is making e-buses fully feasible for city use.

For the private motorist, meantime, a network of ABB fast-charging stations being set up across France is making longer journeys without ‘range anxiety’ increasingly viable. These stations are part of the Ionity project, which will build a European network of high-powered EV charging stations on major highways. About 400 such stations are planned to be set up by 2020, with an average of six charging points in each station. In France, 80 stations will be built, two of which are already operational – on the Porte d’Auger Sud (A11) and Tours la Longue Vue (A10).

These charging stations can be fully networked through the ABB Ability™ digital platform. Network operators, from a central location, can remotely monitor, administer and update the chargers; provide customer payment systems; and continuously calibrate the stations to work most efficiently with the local grid or a renewable energy power supply.

ABB’s DC-format Terra HP charger can operate at levels of up to 350 kilowatts and is able to add almost 300 kilometers of range to an EV in not much longer that needed to fuel a gasoline engine vehicle. ABB is the global leader in fast-charging technology, with more than 10,500 charger units sold in 73 countries.

Enabling clean energyE-mobility provides clean transport solutions if it is powered by sustainable and reliable energy sources. Here, too, ABB is playing a major role in the French industrial landscape by designing and deploying systems that transmit clean energy across long distances.

The company is providing its high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology to connect the national electricity networks of France and the United Kingdom, via the IFA 2 link. Due to be commissioned in 2020, the 1,000-megawatt system will connect Chilling in Hampshire, on the English south coast, with Tourbe in northern France – a distance of 240 kilometers.

ABB converter stations on either end of the undersea cable will transform alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), in order to minimize electrical loss. The stations will also convert the electricity back to AC for use on the power grids.

The HVDC system incorporates ABB Ability™ digital solutions that will constantly monitor and manage operations to ensure reliability, while detecting potential faults in advance. The system has been designed to enhance the security, affordability and sustainability of energy supplies in both countries – and make it easier to smoothly incorporate renewable energy into the power grids of France and Britain.

Digital FranceIn the digital realm, where ABB is increasingly focused as a leader in digital industries, the company is supporting industrial automation and digitalization through its groundbreaking solutions.

Modernization of the Paris Metro ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics represents a great opportunity for ABB to showcase its innovative technology. As Paris gears up to host the Games, the city has embarked on the ‘Grand Paris’ project to transform its metropolitan area into a city of the future. A key part of the project is the modernization of Paris’ existing transport network and the creation of a new driverless Metro – the Grand Paris Express. The project will be partially -complete by 2024 and by 2030 Paris will boast 205 kilometers of autonomous Metro lines and 68 new stations.

Already, ABB has updated two underground substations to ensure more reliable power for the entire Metro network. These substations are supported by Optimax, part of ABB Ability™ Energy Management solutions that allow for centralized monitoring of the power supply around the clock, to avoid unplanned power outages that can disrupt operations.

The significance of any of these sustainable developments underway in France cannot be underestimated for the country in whose capital, in 2015, the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change was settled – with its aim of binding signatories to CO2 emission targets.

As France looks keenly to the future, ABB will continue to make its industries more reliable and its transportation more sustainable.

ABB Robotics to provide advanced robotics painting solutions to SAIC VOLKSWAGEN, helping to build first global New Energy Vehicle (NEV) factory characterized by automation and environmentally-friendly manufacturing technologies.new.abb.comThe new 610,000 square meter NEV factory will be in Shanghai, opening in 2020 with an annual capacity of 300,000 pure electric vehicles from the Audi, Volkswagen and Skoda brands.

This is the first large automated painting project provided by ABB for SAIC Volkswagen. ABB will install approximately 300 robots to provide painting and sealing solutions on three automated painting production lines. These solutions involve automobile exterior and interior painting, underbody painting, interior cosmetic seam sealing and interior plate wax-spraying.

“We are delighted to support China’s rapidly growing electric vehicle industry and to extend our partnership with Volkswagen as the company expands its electric vehicle manufacturing capabilities. This award recognizes ABB’s deep expertise in the electric vehicle segment overall and, in particular, our Robotics automotive expertise supported by global applications centers in China, Europe and the United States,” said Sami Atiya, President of ABB’s Robotics and Discrete Automation business.

Chen Hong, President of SAIC Group said: “Unprecedented changes are taking place in the automobile industry, and electrification and digitalization are inevitable trends. SAIC Volkswagen is actively participating in this change. The NEV plant is an important part of completing SAIC Volkswagen's strategic layout for the future. The NEV plant will become an intelligent, flexible and agile electric vehicle production base of SAIC Volkswagen, helping the company to become the leader in the electric vehicle market in terms of technology and sales volume. It will bring diversified choices with advanced technology and reliable performance to Chinese consumers.”

Niagara Falls tour operator Maid of the Mist orders two new passenger vessels sailing on pure electric power, enabled by ABB’s technologynew.abb.comEach of the vessels will be powered by a pair of battery packs with a total capacity of 316 kWh, split evenly between two catamaran hulls. Having two fully independent power systems on board will increase the resilience of operations by creating a redundancy.

The vessels will charge between every trip while passengers disembark and board. Shoreside charging will only take seven minutes, allowing the batteries to power the electric propulsion motors capable of a total 400 kW (563 HP) output. The power setup will be controlled by ABB’s integrated Power and Energy Management System (PEMS), which will optimize the energy use on board.

The batteries will be charged using hydropower – the largest single renewable energy source for electricity generation in the US, which accounts for 7 percent of the country’s total utility-scale electricity generation. The use of locally produced renewable power will make the energy cycle for the operation of the new Maid of the Mist vessels entirely emission-free.

Sustainable transportation has a crucial role in the fight against climate change, with shipping accounting for 2 to 3 percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency responsible for regulating shipping, has set a global target to cut annual emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050 from 2008 levels.

In addition to integrating the ship-to-shore battery charging connection, ABB will supply the Maid of the Mist newbuilding project with switchboards, drives and the integrated control system, as well as the ABB Ability™ Marine Remote Diagnostic System for remote equipment monitoring and predictive maintenance. ABB Ability™ is ABB’s leading offering of digital solutions and services.

ABB creates state-of-the-art solution for CO2-neutral and energy self-sufficient factory of the futurenew.abb.comABB has an extensive portfolio of eco-efficient solutions and services that can help decouple economic growth from environmental impacts. In fact, over half of ABB's worldwide revenues are generated by technologies that combat the causes of climate change. The company’s goal is to increase this contribution from 57 percent in 2018 to 60 percent by 2020.

ABB wins major order to transmit wind power from North Seanew.abb.comABB’s Power Grids business has been awarded a triple digit million-euro order from the Aibel/Keppel FELS consortium, which will design, construct, and build the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission system for the offshore wind connection project DolWin5. ABB is the HVDC technology provider. This project will deliver 900 megawatts of zero-carbon electricity – enough to power around 1 million homes - from three wind farms some 100 km off the German coast. It is scheduled for completion in 2024.

ABB wins large power transmission order from China’s State Gridnew.abb.comThe 1,100-kilometer-long power transmission link will transport up to 8,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to meet the needs of around eight million people in China. The orders were booked in the first and second quarters of 2019.

“The ultrahigh-voltage (UHV) transmission equipment from ABB is an important milestone in realizing SGCC’s vision of building stronger and greener grids. These UHV super-grids will enable the reliable integration of ever more power sources from remote areas into the power grids of urban centers,” said Claudio Facchin, President of ABB’s Power Grids business.

ABB expands e-Bus charging portfolio for greener transportnew.abb.comCompleting its comprehensive range of charging solutions for sustainable public transport, a flexible and automated pantograph enables more efficient operations for e-Bus fleets

Panto Up, combined with ABB’s sequential charging system for a depot, has been designed to provide a flexible, efficient and fully automated charging solution for larger fleets of electric buses, where limited depot space requires using buses with a roof mounted pantograph.

An easy to install charge poll, Panto Up enables sequential overnight charging of up to three buses at the same time, with an available power range of 50-150kW per vehicle. It also delivers a power range of 150-600kW for ‘opportunity charging’ at end stops of bus lines during the day, providing an ideal solution to ensure zero-emission public transport without impacting normal operations.

“Panto Up is a key milestone in our journey to make automated charging a feasible option for operators that wish to reduce their carbon footprint, minimize costs, and gain better control of fleet performance,” said Frank Muehlon, Head of ABB’s global business for EV Charging Infrastructure.